Published 10:31 pm, Friday, February 15, 2013

ALBANY — When Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this year pushed through a ban on assault-style weapons, worries surfaced about the fate of gun makers in New York, including Remington Arms Co., which makes assault-style rifles and other weapons at its Ilion factory.

Members of the plant's union have rallied against the new gun law, known as the SAFE Act, but there's been no hint the storied arms maker would leave the state.

But at least one gun maker has stopped selling its products in New York.

Olympia, Wash.-based Olympic Arms is one of the industry's smaller players, but news that it has stopped sales to police in the Empire State has added a new twist to the protests over the law, and lit a fire in the blogosphere.

"We just didn't feel it was right," said Brian Schuetz, Olympic's president and co-owner.

The new law allows continued sales of assault-style rifles to police agencies but not to civilians. "It didn't make sense that citizens can't have what police departments have," Schuetz said.

Schuetz's company posted an expansive explanation of its decision to pull out of New York on its Facebook page: " ... Legislation recently passed in the State of New York outlaws the AR-15 and many other firearms, and will make it illegal for the good and free citizens of New York to own a large selection of legal and safe firearms and magazines. We feel as though the passage of this legislation exceeds the authority granted to the government of New York by its citizens, and violates the Constitution of the United States."

"The SAFE Act does nothing to affect these manufacturers' ability to sell to law enforcement," said Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi. "There is no shortage of responsible venders who would want to assist New York's law enforcement agencies keep New Yorkers safe."

Schuetz in a phone interview said he didn't know how many guns his company sells each year in New York, but that it isn't a large number.

The family-run firm, which employs about 60 people, makes assault-style rifles as well as .45-caliber handguns.

"Mostly our orders are smaller," Schuetz said.

Schuetz said he was surprised at the level of attention his announcement has drawn from the media and online. "It wasn't meant to be a big statement," he said.

Olympic's decision will probably have little impact on police departments, said John Grebert, executive director of the state Chiefs of Police association.

"I don't see it as a big problem," he said, because there are still ample numbers of gun makers and distributors for police agency needs. The greater challenge: "Finding the money to buy the equipment," he said.

News of Olympic's move comes as at least two legal actions against the SAFE Act are moving forward.

The state Rifle and Pistol Association filed a notice of claim, which reserves its right to sue, with the attorney general. And in Erie County, a private attorney, James Tresmond, contends the law violates constitutional guarantees of privacy and protections against the "taking" of property because it outlaws high-capacity magazine that many gun owners have.